Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their typical hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
